Round of Applause l Cody Simpson FanFic
by captakirea
Summary: Cody Simpson was everything I ever wanted in a guy. He was sweet, charming, funny. He was perfect, but fame corrupted him. It pulled his conscience apart and turned him into another mindless, Hollywood star.
1. c h a p t e r  1

_Hey you guys!_

Okay so I haven't written stories in a while so bear with me :) It might be a little confusing and stuff. The first chapter might be a little boring, but I promise you I'll try to make the next ones much more entertaining. Cody is supposed to be a little bit older than 14 here but not by much. So here it is and I hope you enjoy :)

_xoxo Erika_

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><p>He was everything I ever wanted in a guy. He was sweet, charming, funny. He was perfect, but fame corrupted him. It pulled his conscience apart and turned him into another mindless, Hollywood star. He's not the same Cody that I grew up with and fell for. Hollywood has taken over his body and his mind. Yet, I still stand here doing nothing about it. Watching him from halfway across the world as he lives his dream in America.<p>**c h a p t e r 1** | _I was going through my call log the other day and all I saw was your name_

I quite hate Australia. I mean don't get me wrong, it's a great place to visit if you've never been; but I've been here all my life and it feels like a prison. I can't describe how tired I am of walking around these familiar streets and spending time at the same, boring malls. It drives me insane. I wish I could just get out of this place for a little bit and see the world. I'm positive everyone feels the same way about their homeland during some point in their lives.

"Nollie! Blake is here." my mother called from downstairs.

I grabbed my old, gray hoodie from my bed and threw it on as I ran down the stairs. I saw Blake standing outside the door with his attention caught on the rain pouring outside. When he heard my footsteps come closer to him, he turned around and smiled.

"Hey mom," I called, "I'll be home late. Don't wait up, okay?"

I closed the door behind me before I could hear my mother's response.

Blake sighed, "So where do you want to go?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. We can go to the mall I guess? Or the promenade."

I hopped into the passenger side of his 2011 Audi and fastened my seat belt. The rain started pounding hard against the windshield as his car accelerated faster and faster down the road. It was beautiful really. It almost sounded like the heartbeat of a drum. No matter what country you're in, rain seems to always be so mesmerizing and so very romantic. It's able to change your mood depending on how heavy the rain is. It can make you happy as you snuggle up by a cozy fire with a hot cup of cocoa. It can make you inspired and bring out your creativity so to speak. It can make you sad and remind you of those special moments you can never replace. Rain was just a beautiful thing. I started to hear music muffling from the radio and I could tell the silence was driving Blake crazy. It's been like this between us for a while. We used to be so in love and so happy, but we've reached that stage of comfortability where laughter was replaced with silence and it was no longer mandatory to constantly shower each other with hugs and kisses.

"Alright you guys," the radio announcer chirped in an all too elated voice, "this next song is a new song by Cody Simpson who is from our lovely home of Australia. He will be performing-"

Blake changed the radio station before the announcer could finish his sentence. He knew how I was when it came to Cody. Cody used to be my best friend. We grew up together, we lived three houses away from each other, we told each other things we wouldn't dare tell anyone else. When Blake and I started hanging more, I started drifting away from Cody. It wasn't until the beginning of high school I noticed he and I were no longer as close as we used to be. I tried to talk to him more and apologize for being so ignorant but he just forgave me and never spoke to me again. It hurt. When he didn't come back sophomore year, I became weary. He may not have cared about me, but I cared about him. I started to notice moving vans coming and going by his house everyday. His front porch no longer had that bench we used to sit on everyday to catch up on things and his mother's garden began to wilt. I knew how much Mrs. Simpson loved her garden and it seemed out of the ordinary she'd leave it be. I decided to call Cody that night. I started to wonder if he had changed his number or if he'd pick up.

_ "Hello." I heard Cody's voice._

_ "Hey Cody! It's-"_

_ "Sorry I couldn't answer my phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

I hung up and thought that'd be the last time I'd hear his voice on the phone. A few days later, my mother had hysterically called me to come into the living room. I remembered coming down and seeing Cody performing on some American morning show. I knew he enjoyed singing and dancing, but never in my life had I thought he'd pursue a career in entertainment. Let alone, one in America. At that moment, I felt a deep, sunken feeling in my chest. I was happy for him, but I was also hurt. It reminded me how much we've drifted apart and how things will never, ever be the same now that he's famous. Time started flying by. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months become a whole year. I couldn't turn around without hearing something Cody Simpson related or seeing big, blown up posters of him. It was hard at first, but after a while I became numb to the feeling.

"We're here, babe." Blake said, nonchalantly.

I flipped my hood over my head and followed Blake into the shopping mall. It seemed more crowded than usual, but it was vacation. School was still out and it was no surprise there were a lot of teenagers here. When we walked in, I noticed there was a huge crowd standing in front of a stage in the middle of the mall.

"I wonder what all this is about." Blake said.

"Probably some special event. Maybe Just Bieber is here." I shrieked, sarcastically.

Blake giggled and took my hand in his as we walked past the crowd. All of a sudden, the crowd erupted in loud, shrilly screams as music started to blast through the speakers. We tired to make our way past the crowd, but more and more people started running in and crowding around.

"WHAT'S UP, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA?" a voice said through the microphone.

I froze in place. The voice was much too familiar. Memories started flooding my mind and that heavy feeling in my chest came back. When I tilted my head up towards the stage, I confirmed who the voice had belonged to.

"Oh my god." I muttered in awe.


	2. c h a p t e r 2

**Chapter 2** | _I was thinking what I'm thinking this girl got me feeling some kinda way_

"Holy shit." I gasped.

I felt like my feet were permanently glued to the floor. I couldn't walk around or even avert my eyes from Cody. I didn't know what to call this moment. A dream or a nightmare.

_I never thought this could be what it's become_

_We're the young and that it's turned into love  
>And I can't go on without you<em>

By the end of his second song, he took a quick swig of water before picking up an acoustic guitar and taking his spot right back up on center stage.

"How is everyone doing today?" he said into the microphone.

That simple question caused the whole crowd to erupt, once again, in high pitched screams. I didn't understand it really. All he asked was how everyone was...and they were cheering over it. I studied Cody's face as he smiled out into the crowd. Their cheers seemed to have made him joyous in a way. As his eyes scanned across the huddled group of people, both, upstairs watching from the balcony and downstairs looking up at him, it took me a while to realize his eyes suddenly met mine and his smile slowly started to fade. I couldn't tell if he was shocked or bitter to see me. I quickly looked away and forced my way out of sight with Blake still grabbing on to my hand.

"S-So this next song is about a girl who is with someone who doesn't deserve her." Cody explained, enunciating every single word.

I tried to block his voice out of my mind as I kept shoving my way out of the crowd.

"How she deserves to be with someone who will always love her," he continued, "and take care of her no matter how long it's been or how much the relationship has been through."

_I'm back to put the sunshine back in your mind  
>'Cause I don't like the way hes got you raining all the time.<br>Put away your troubles by leaving him behind.  
>So every time you look up clear blue sky <em>

By the time the song had already started , Blake and I were already out of the crowd. I scrambled to get far away from the crowd. It seemed like no matter how far I got, I could still hear his voice echo down the long halls. I couldn't run away from him.

"Nollie," Blake panted, "can you slow down? We're far from the stage already."

I shook my head vigorously, "No, no, no we're not. Let's go outside. C'mon."

"It's raining outside. We'll get sick."

"I don't care! I just don't need to be here right now."

"Look let's just go back to the car and we'll go somewhere else. We can wait until the music stops, then he'll be well off stage by then."

I sighed and nodded. We settled down on a bench in front of a sporting good store and waited until the echoed music stopped. My mind and my thoughts were all over the place. I couldn't think straight. One minute I was reminiscing in all the good times I've had with Cody, the next I'm feeling the same way I had felt when I came to the realization he and I will never be the same again.

"I think he's done performing." Blake grumbled.

I hadn't even noticed the music stopped. I was too enveloped with my acidic thoughts to recognize the change in sounds. We stood up from the bench, but this time Blake didn't hold my hand. He simply strode a few inches in front of me as we made our way back to where we came in. As we got closer towards the crowd of Cody's fans, I noticed they were all standing in a line that seemed like it went on forever. I sighed and continued to follow close behind Blake, staring down at my feet as I kept my pace in unison with his.

"Nollie!" I heard a feminine voice call from behind.

I turned around only to be greeted by Cody's younger sister, Ally. She looked so different now and so much more grown up. She defiantly wasn't the little kid who always used to tag along with Cody and I whenever we went outside to play. I smiled as she abruptly enveloped me in a hug. As she pulled away, I started to notice people's eyes staring at me as they were waiting in line. They weren't exactly glaring, but it seemed as though they were watching curiously.

"It's so good to see you! How have you been?" Ally asked in her usual happy voice.

"Uh I've been alright. I'd love to stay and chat but I have to-"

I started to walk away until I felt Ally's hand grab my arm to stop me.

"No please don't go. Stay. We can catch up on each other's lives plus I bet Cody would love to catch up as well."

I tried to refrain from cringing when she said his name. Catching up? It seemed too soon. It's only been a year. Plus, what if he doesn't even want to talk to me? I don't think I could handle that kind of rejection from him so soon. I turned around to see if Blake would be able to get me out of this predicament, but he wasn't there anymore.

I turned my attention back to Ally and shook my head, "No, no, no he's probably busy-"

"Oh not really. He just needs to finish this meet and greet and he'll be free. C'mon! It'll be like old times! We're only going to be here for 3 days. We might as well make the most of it."

At that moment, I wish I could've just told Ally the truth and leave. _Oh no I can't stay because things are just too awkward between your brother and I. I still care about him, but clearly he doesn't care about me. So much so he didn't even bother saying 'goodbye' before you guys left._

Before I could even answer, Ally pulled me by the arm and dragged me backstage with her. I didn't know what to do at that point. I wanted to run out when Ally wasn't looking, but I felt that would be too mean to do to her. As we waited backstage, I quickly checked my phone to see if Blake had left a message. Nothing. Not even a '_where are you?_' or '_are you okay?_'. At that moment, I should've felt hurt, betrayed, angry; but the truth is: I wasn't. I honestly never expected him to worry about where I was at all times because that's what happens when you've reach the stage of comfortability in a relationship. As half an hour went by, Cody was still out signing autographs and taking pictures. I didn't know if it was my impatience or anxiety kicking in, but something was telling me to go home.

"Ally," I started, "I need to go home."

"No please stay. Cody is almost done-"

"I can't face your brother."

The words shot out of my mouth so quickly it took me a while to realize what I had just said.

Ally sighed, "I had a feeling. Look I'm sorry I just...I thought we could all just move on and leave the past in the past but I guess it's just not that easy."

"I'm sorry, Ally. I just...I can't."

Ally gave me a half smile. I sighed and gave her a quick hug before walking towards the door. I glanced back at the stage where Cody was signing autographs and saw his eyes meet mine. I turned my attention back towards the door and walked out as confidently as I could, yet inside I was deteriorating from that last look back. The rain had lightened up, but it was still sprinkling and I could feel the tiny rain drops kiss my skin. I walked the rest of the way back home and let my thoughts follow me. Will things ever truly be the same?


	3. c h a p t e r 3

**Sorry for the lack of updates :( I promise chapter 4 will be much longer than this chapter. -erika xoxo**

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><p><strong>chapter <strong>**3** | _I__ never __thought __I__ would__ be __the __one__ who's __so__ caught __up_

As I walked home, I kept calling Blake hoping he'd pick up only to be introduced to disappointment. Why did he just leave me like that? I don't understand what goes through his mind anymore. It seems as if time has only changed him and caused us to grow apart. By the time I entered the opening of my neighborhood, my clothes were heavy and soaked in rain water. The rain started to lighten up, but it didn't stop. It continued to lightly sprinkle during the entire walk.

I glanced at my phone to see if Blake had called or even texted, but still nothing. When I reached home, I sat on the curb in front of my house and just skimmed through my contacts. _Cody__ 'Dork__face'__ Simpson._ That was the name his number was under. All this time, I never had the heart to erase it. I figured-no...I _hoped_ that one day he'd call and everything would be the same between us again. I missed my best friend and I would've done anything to have him back. Now, I don't know how I feel. I care about him, but the concept of reconciling with him has been something I've long given up on.

"Nollie?" I heard my mom say at the door, "Why are you all wet? Where's Blake? Come inside you'll get sick!"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Not to sound melodramatic or anything, but I really didn't feel like having humans around me at the moment. But since I also wasn't in the mood for a lecture from my mother, I decided to listen to her and come inside. I quickly ran upstairs and went into the bathroom. I stripped off my cold, damp clothes and hopped into the burning hot shower. It felt euphoric feeling the warm water envelope my shivering body. Any stress I had about Cody or Blake was quickly washed down the drain. If only this feeling could last even after I get out of the shower.

"What did you say?" my mother asked.

After my calming bath, I had gotten dressed and joined my mother in the kitchen, drinking a warm cup of hazelnut coffee. I told her everything that happened. About the radio, about Cody, about Ally, about Blake. She's known Blake and I have been, for a lack of a better word, 'unaffectionate' lately. What came as a shock to her were the Simpsons being back in town.

I shrugged, staring at the steam floating into the air from the coffee in my mug.

"I didn't say anything. He was busy." I answered nonchalantly.

"Well that's just stupid. He should've taken a quick second to say '_hello_' at least."

"It's fine, mom. Besides, I doubt he would've said anything even if he did have a minute."

"Nollie Elizabeth Lawrence-"

My mother was cut off by the doorbell. I went to answer it before she could move a muscle. I was desperate to get away from the awkward tension in the kitchen. Besides, I knew it was probably Blake coming to check up on me. We may not be 'affectionate' anymore, but habits are hard to quit and he can't help but act upon the habits of being a boyfriend. I opened the door confidently only to have my expectations crushed. It wouldn't be the first time today, anyways.

"Cody?" I gasped, "W-What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer. He just stood there like a statue with his mouth slightly agape. I raised my eyebrows and stood there, anticipating his answer once he figured out how to speak again. It was my way of trying to hide the fact that I was shocked. Probably more shocked than he was right now. Although, I wasn't completely sure if he was shocked or just frightened.

"I-I just wanted to come by and say..." he trailed off, entering his trance again.

I tilted my head forward a bit. "To say what?"

"Uh...hi."

I scoffed. "Okay...hi...bye."

Before I could close the door all the way, he stopped it with his arm.

"No I also was hoping we could talk. Y'know...catch up and stuff."

I sighed. "Cody, if you really wanted to talk to me you would've called me back a year ago. You would've said '_goodbye_'. You're just here because you feel like you're obligated to say you want to catch up after seeing me today. I know you, Cody. I know that if you didn't come here and say the right words, you won't be able to live down the guilt. It's okay. You don't have to feel bad. I'm used to being ignored by you already."

Before he could say anything else, I closed the door. Even with the stupid piece of wood between us, I could still feel his blue green eyes piercing right through me. To answer the year long question I've been asking myself the past year: I guess I didn't need my best friend anymore. I cared about him, but I didn't need his sympathy. Quite frankly, I didn't need him in general. Just as I was coming to the realization, I heard faint voices coming from the front porch on the other side of the door.

"C-Cody, right?" the male voice said in an awkward tone.

"Oh..." Cody answered, "Hi Blake."


	4. c h a p t e r 4

**Chapter**** 4** | _but__ now__ I __see __you__ differently_

I opened the door and saw Blake and Cody just standing there glaring at each other. It atmosphere was cold and tense and not because of the weather. They were eying each other like a predator getting ready to devour its prey.

"Look," Cody said, breaking the silence, "I'm not looking for any trouble alright. I just came-"

"Just get out of here, Simpson. If you didn't want trouble, you wouldn't have dared to come here. Didn't you learn the first time not to touch what isn't yours?"

At first, I just stood there listening intently, but I decided to jump in before things became physical.

"'Touch what isn't yours'?" I quoted Blake, "What the fuck are you guys talking about?"

"It's nothing, Nollie." Blake responded, his eyes still fixed on Cody like a dead man.

"Tell her, bro," Cody scoffed mockingly, "Tell her the reason why you threatened me to stop talking to her. Tell her how you had your groupie beat me up that one time."

"Beat you up?" I yelled.

I felt my cheeks turn red as my blood began to boil. My eyes quickly fixed on Blake.

"You beat Cody up?" I yelled even louder.

"If your '_best friend_' didn't have such a big mouth and high ego, I wouldn't have had to beat his weak ass up." Blake retorted.

"All I was going to do was warn Nollie about you. About how you were two timing her when you two started dating. You were cheating on her with my sister. I wasn't going to let you screw around with my best friend _and_ my sister."

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. My breathing became heavy and my muscles became tense. I was dizzy from the anger building up inside me. Behind Blake, I can see Cody's two body guards tensing up in case a brawl was to ensue between Blake and Cody.

"H-How could...Blake...I-I"

Words came out of my mouth, but made no sense. My head was everywhere as well as my emotions.

"YOU FUCKING PRICK!" Blake screamed before running to Cody and swinging his arms.

By the time his body guards came to lift Blake off of Cody, Cody was already on the ground with blood coming out of his nose and a light purple tint forming under his right eye. I heard my mother run outside when she heard the commotion. Everything was moving so fast it felt like I was the one who was playing in slow motion and everything around me was fast paced. I saw Cody's body guards holding Blake down as he tried to wriggle free from their grasps. When I looked down at my feet, Cody lied there grunting and spitting out saliva mixed with blood. My mother helped me pick Cody up and set him on the couch in the living room. Eventually, the moment caught up to me and fell onto the other couch and everything just went black.

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><p><em>Everything<em>_ was __beautiful.__ The __room __was __white __except __for __this __one __entire __wall.__ It__ was __filled __with __vibrant __colors __and __un-uniformed__ brush__ strokes.__ It__ didn't __picture __anything __in__ particular, __it__ was __just__ an__ array __of__ colors __left __to__ dry __on__ a__ once __plain __wall.__ When__ I __looked __down__ at__ my __feet,__ there__ were__ the __three __large __paint __buckets __of__ basic __colors,__ blue,__ red,__ and__ yellow, __and __a __paint __brush __in __each __one. __I__ picked__ up__ the __paint__ brush__ in__ the __blue __bucket__ and__ made__ my __way __towards __the __wall. __I__ was __face __to __face __with __the __vibrant__ wall__ with__ a__ paint__ brush__ at __hand,__ but__ I__ didn't__ know __what__ to __paint._

_ I just stood there dumbfounded before I felt a hand gently grab onto mine and placed the brush in my hand onto the wall. It directed where to go, what strokes to make, how lightly the paint should go onto the wall. I wasn't worried about the paint anymore because I was too preoccupied on the hand on top of mine. It was warm and strong. The skin on the back of the hand looked like a work of art in itself. The skin had a velvet complexion and the light blue veins were conspicuous as the hand continued to guide the paintbrush in my hand in gentle strokes._

_ I couldn't take it anymore. I turned around only to be greeted by a pair of familiar blue green eyes. I could feel the aura of the person's lips near mine, so close that their warm breath would occasionally brush on my lips. Oh those lips. They were perfect and light pink. Kissable even, then right there I realized. The name escaped my mouth before I could even fully grasp the realization._

_ "Cody." I whispered._

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><p>When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on my side on the couch.<em> Did I pass out? What happened?<em> I felt my head throb as I tried to sit up properly. I heard laughter coming from the kitchen. I couldn't make out whose it belonged to though. All my senses felt disoriented. I stretched and made my way towards the kitchen. There, I saw my mother leaning on one side of the kitchen island with a male on the other side. He was sitting down on the stool with his back facing me. When I entered the kitchen, my mom's attention turned to me as well as the male on the stool. It was Cody, bruised and beat up. His right eye went from a light purple to a dark bluish purple.

"_Holy-_" I exclaimed when I caught my first sight of the bruise, holding down my tongue so that I didn't curse in front of my mom.

"Is it really that bad?" Cody said, a disappointed look on his face.

I shook my head, "No it's...it's..." I couldn't lie. Even with my fuzzy senses from passing out, the bruise stood out against his light complexion.

"It looks pretty bad." I admitted.

"Ugh great. I have a photo shoot tomorrow. Not to mention a meet and greet afterwards." he whined, turning back around.

I walked towards the fridge and poured myself a glass of orange juice before sitting on the stool next to Cody.

"Don't worry, dear," my mom said, "the swelling should go away by tomorrow morning as long as you ice it more tonight. A little makeup should cover the bruise well enough during your photo shoot and meet and greet tomorrow."

Cody sighed. "Ugh great. I'm going to have to have the makeup artist at the photo shoot to come with me to the meet and greet afterward. Plus, the flashes from the fans' cameras might expose the bruise even with all the makeup."

"It'll be fine, Cody." I assured him, though I didn't know why I was. He was acting like a total girl. Makeup? The flashes will expose his bruise? Who was I talking to? My old best friend or Orlando Bloom?

"Well," my mom sighed, "I'm going to go to the market really fast before it closes. Do you kids want anything?"

Cody and I shook our heads in unison. We stayed quiet until my mom had walked out the front door. Once I heard the door close, I wanted to get to business. I wanted to figure out what _exactly_ happened between Cody and Blake. Maybe if I found that part out, it would explain why Cody stopped talking to me and every other question flooding my brain.

"So where are your body guards?" I asked, trying to start the conversation.

He looked over at me before answering, "I sent them back to the hotel. I told them I'd call when I was ready to leave."

"Cody, I...can you tell me what all that tension between you and Blake was about? I mean I know it involved Ally and I, but I want to know what happened. Every single thing."

He stayed quiet for a while, staring down at his hands as he brushed his fingers against one another.

"It started when you and Blake first met..." he said, in a hushed and broken tone.


	5. c h a p t e r 5

**Chapter**** 5** | _maybe __this__ could__ be __love_

"I tried to give him a chance, I really did. You seemed happy with him and every time you talked about him you wouldn't stop smiling. Then you told me you and him were official so I figured, '_Hey...he makes Nollie happy. I should get to know him_'." Cody shrugged and got up to fish through the pantry.

"But?" I asked, impatiently.

"But," he continued as he looked through the pantry for food, "when I got home later on, I saw his stupid car in my driveway. At the time, I didn't know it was his. I thought it was a friend of Ally's or something. When I walked inside, I ran into Blake and Ally making out on the couch. It's one thing to walk into your sister mid-make out session, it's another thing when it's with your best friend's boyfriend. So I got mad. I started yelling, telling him to get out and that he was a little bitch for two timing you and fooling around with my sister. Ally was shocked when she found out he was your boyfriend. She just ran up the stairs crying, but Blake wouldn't leave. He told me I'd regret getting into his business, but I didn't take it too seriously at the time. Until later on when I was walking home from soccer practice and his car pulled up next to mine. Next thing I know, I was spitting out my blood and holding onto my stomach like it would fall out or something. Then he told me, '_next time, mind your own god damn business and stay away from Nollie or I'll fuck you up even worse, you cunt_.' and left. Him and his little posse. Just drove off into the sunset." Cody chuckled.

I didn't appreciate his sarcasm. There was nothing funny about the story at all. Had I known this happened, that this was why Cody stayed away from me, I would've done something to prevent it. I would've broken up with Blake and ran off with Cody. Something. _Anything_. I would've done it all really.

Eventually, Cody settled for a packet of TimTam Biscuits before turning back around to face me. He pulled a biscuit out and took a big bite.

"Ugh," he moaned, "I haven't had one of these in forever. America doesn't sell any of these anywhere and I've been telling my assistant to find some way to get these shipped to me from Australia, but she couldn't...so I fired her."

I raised my eyebrow. What is up with Cody? The more he talks about America and his current career, the more I look at him differently. He literally sounds like the male version of Mariah Carey or something. A total diva.

"Wait so...why didn't you ever try to talk to me anyways?" I asked, trying to revert to our earlier topic, "I mean...you could've texted me or something, you know?"

"I thought about it," he answered, a mouth full of TimTam, "but I never knew if you were with Blake or not and I was worried he'd see it and beat the living daylight out of me. You know I don't like confrontations, Nollie. Especially when the odds aren't in my favor."

"Didn't you even care though? I mean, if I was in your shoes. I would've at least said '_goodbye_'."

Cody's eyes slowly fell away from mine, showing signs of remorse and guilt. He slid his hands behind his neck and interlocked his fingers, staring down at the tabletop.

"I couldn't say '_goodbye_', Nollie. I wanted you to think that I didn't _want_ to talk you. Saying '_goodbye_' would've made you wonder why I ignored you for so long. I was afraid-"

"Saying '_goodbye_' would've stopped making me wonder why you ignored me for so long. You just left me out there, Cody. For the past year, I've been pondering like an idiot about if I ever did anything wrong to make you hate me. To make you not want to talk to me ever again."

"Look," he said, his eyes finally meeting mine again, "I realize now that skipping the goodbye's and not talking to you for the longest time was a bad idea and I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry and I'm going to spend every single day making it up to you. I'll buy you a car, a Louis Vuitton handbag, a dog, anything."

I folded my arms over my chest, "I don't want materialistic things, Cody. I just want my best friend back."

I could see a smile slowly starting to form on his face and I couldn't help but return the gesture. From that moment, I knew we were rekindling our 'best friend' flame. That from here on out we were going to reimburse the wasted year we spent apart by making every single day memorable. Just like how it used to be.

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><p>"So after the photoshoot in Culburra for Teen Vogue, you need to be at Pitt Street Mall in Sydney for a meet and greet then a quick acoustic performance." Cody's manager told him in the car.<p>

It was literally 5 in the morning and I was sitting in the back of the SUV in between Cody and Ally. After catching up with each other's lives all night, Cody decided it'd be fun if I tagged along with him and watch him do his pop star duties. I honestly didn't mind and thought it'd be fun to see the life he's been living the past year. If only I wasn't so tired. Cody and I had no sleep at all because of how caught up we were with our conversations that we had lost track of the time. As his manager droned on and on about the schedule for the day, I could see that Cody was trying his best not to fall asleep while his manager was talking. I couldn't blame him, all this business talk was making me even more drowsy than I already was. Ally, on the other hand, was dead asleep with her head resting on the car window.

"Mhm." Cody simply replied to his manager.

I couldn't fight my eye lids anymore. I let myself give in to the temptation and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><em>It <em>_was__ the__ dream __again. __Right __where __I__ left__ off.__ The__ white __room,__ the __paint,__ Cody's__ lips__ near__ mine.__ They__ weren't __touching,__ but__ god __it__ was __such __a __tease.__ We__ stood __there, __staring __at__ each__ other. __Eventually,__ I__ started__ to__ feel his__ hands __gently__ press__ against __my __bare __back.__ I__ looked __over__ my __shoulder __to__ see__ that__ there__ was __paint __on __Cody's__ hand__ and__ that__ some__ of__ it__ was__ dripping __onto __my __white __backless __dress. __His__ hands__ brushed__ against__ my__ skin,__ the __paint __being __spread__ all__ over.__ I __could__ feel __him __adding __more__ pressure__ into __his __fingers __and__ his __lips__ slowly__ moving__ towards__ my __neck._

_ My body was on fire. It felt like my dress was choking my body and that the only way to relieve the urge was to remove my dress. I felt one of Cody's hands slip behind my neck as his other hand started to brush up and down against my spine. I was shuddering under his touch. I was under his spell. His hands roaming my body and his lips teasing my neck. The red paint made me look like a bloodied victim while his white ensemble was still pristine. Just like in real life, I was a mess, but he was still perfect._


End file.
